Show Up in Style by Wearing Custom Designed Shirts - Buy 'Em or Design Your Own

Design Your Own

Many people believe that if they want custom designed shirts, they have to go out and pay someone to print them, but often, they can make their own for next to nothing at home, as a fun and entertaining craft project.

Of course, if you want hundreds of custom designed shirts to sell, perhaps at a craft fair or music or sports event, then its best to hire someone to print them for you, but if you are just making one or two for you and your friends, it will be much quicker and easier just to do them at home.

How you should make your custom designed shirts depends mostly on what kind of effect you are going for. If you only want words on your shirt, or very simple designs, and you don't mind a rough, homemade appearance, the easiest way to may custom designed shirts is with either a sharpie or a fabric marker.

A fabric marker will set automatically, and last for quite a while, but costs a little more. You probably have a sharpie lying around your house right now, so you could get to work if you have an old tee shirt to write on. But when making custom designed shirts with a sharpie, always wash them in cold salt water when you are done. This is the only way to get the color to set. Otherwise, it will bleed all over when you wash your shirt, causing a horrible mess!

Another way to make a custom designed shirt is with a stencil and some paint. You can use many different kinds of paint. I have made several custom designed shirts with just a cardboard cut out stencil and a can of spray paint, which has a very stylish, punk kind of look for it, like a spray painted stencil on the wall would have.

Personally, I think it looks fabulous, but if you are looking for a more finished appearance, you can use silk screen. It takes a little longer to set up, and the supplies can cost a little more, but silk screening has its advantages.

It will give you the clearest image of all of these methods, just like a professionally made shirt once you get the hang of it. And with silk screening, you can make many different shirts, with different colors, off of the same design, and they will all maintain the same smooth, well made appearance.

Design Your Own Shirt

Years ago it was nearly impossible to design your own shirt unless you were a tailor or seamstress. Today there are a number of options available for anyone who wants to delve into a designing project like this. Whether you want to remake an existing item or whether you want to create a one of a kind original you can look around to find the best option for your needs.

One of the most popular ways that you can do shirt designing is through your computer. There are actually a couple of options available through this resource. Computer generated images can be transferred right on to the custom clothing item with relative ease in a few steps.

The first step in using computer generated images for your original creation is to purchase an iron-on appliqué kit at your local craft store. I strongly suggest that you use one recommended by an employee of the reputable craft shop. Buying this kid of kit at another store may not provide you a quality product. If you design your own shirt using one of the cheaper kits you will find yourself very disappointed in the results.

I chose to buy my first kit of this nature in a discount store. There was no available person with the qualifications to tell me whether or not the product actually worked. After spending hours creating the perfect image and witty saying, I found that the product literally melted my time and effort on to the piece of clothing.

It looked very unprofessional and parts of it peeled off in a matter of minutes. I wasted my time and money on this cheaper item. Ironically, I set out to save a few bucks. When you design your shirts you really should consider buying better quality products. You will actually save money in the long run.

The next product I bought was from a one-stop-shopping retail giant. Again, I didn’t want to spend too much and I did not consult a professional for his opinion. And again I was very disappointed in the result. The shirt looked acceptable until I washed it. The icon and letters immediately began to crack and peel right after the very first wash.

It can be very disheartening to design your very own shirt from scratch only to see it disintegrate in a matter of days. Searching for quality custom designed products can save you the pain of seeing your original work fall apart.

Even better, you can find designs through a site like Café Press. They do all of the printing for you and you are guaranteed the professional quality that your original work deserves. I'd rather have a shirt I can wear many times over and still be proud of it, wouldn't you?

Bob Pardue Photography